Final thoughts on AI
So Ruben won the final -- boo hoo. On the other hand, it's not like Clay will be suffering either, with a guaranteed recording contract and a humongous fan base.
Even so, I have to admit to some cynicism about the results, not so much because I wanted Clay to win (although I did) but because all the evidence I've seen so far points to Clay having by far the larger fan base* and as such he should have received the most votes. But with phone lines being jammed as they were, a great many votes (possibly on both sides, not just Clay's) would not have gotten through.
It's also been pointed out that 19 Entertainment is now poised to make megabucks off both Clay (whose fan base was already rabid and well-established) and Ruben (since he's now the American Idol), whereas if the results had gone the other way, they might not have made as much money from Ruben's part of the equation. Which is true, I think.
All of which is not to slight Ruben, who seems like a very nice guy and does (on a good day) have a fine voice for those who like that sort of soul/R&B thing. But last night he was lip-synching a lot of the time -- or else his two performances of "Flying Without Wings" were eerily identical. I only wish Kelly (last year's winner, for those who don't know or don't care about such things) had lip-synched as well -- I don't know what went wrong with her performances last night, but man, she was awful.
If the whole concept of American Idol is by definition cheesy, if the show's actual execution is more on a Velveeta level, then last night's appearance by Paul Anka was Cheez Whiz and tonight's skit featuring Paula and Simon was cheese-in-a-can. And there is only so much cheesiness any sane human being can take, so I'm glad it's all over.
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*Though admittedly, that might just be on the Internet. Clay is, after all, the poster boy for nerds everywhere, so perhaps it's not surprising that active net users would tend to support One Of Our Own.
Even so, I have to admit to some cynicism about the results, not so much because I wanted Clay to win (although I did) but because all the evidence I've seen so far points to Clay having by far the larger fan base* and as such he should have received the most votes. But with phone lines being jammed as they were, a great many votes (possibly on both sides, not just Clay's) would not have gotten through.
It's also been pointed out that 19 Entertainment is now poised to make megabucks off both Clay (whose fan base was already rabid and well-established) and Ruben (since he's now the American Idol), whereas if the results had gone the other way, they might not have made as much money from Ruben's part of the equation. Which is true, I think.
All of which is not to slight Ruben, who seems like a very nice guy and does (on a good day) have a fine voice for those who like that sort of soul/R&B thing. But last night he was lip-synching a lot of the time -- or else his two performances of "Flying Without Wings" were eerily identical. I only wish Kelly (last year's winner, for those who don't know or don't care about such things) had lip-synched as well -- I don't know what went wrong with her performances last night, but man, she was awful.
If the whole concept of American Idol is by definition cheesy, if the show's actual execution is more on a Velveeta level, then last night's appearance by Paul Anka was Cheez Whiz and tonight's skit featuring Paula and Simon was cheese-in-a-can. And there is only so much cheesiness any sane human being can take, so I'm glad it's all over.
--
*Though admittedly, that might just be on the Internet. Clay is, after all, the poster boy for nerds everywhere, so perhaps it's not surprising that active net users would tend to support One Of Our Own.